West Palm Beach residents may begin to see a difference in their flood insurance premium costs! Effective October 1, 2018, the City of West Palm Beach will increase to a Class 5 in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS). The NFIP, with premium rates determined by the risks of flooding, is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The CRS is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management activities that exceed the NFIP requirements.

The floodplain management activities implemented by the City qualifies it for a 25 percent discount in the premium cost of flood insurance for NFIP policies issued or renewed in Special Flood Hazard Areas on or after October 1, 2018. Any building located in an A or V flood zone is considered to be in the Special Flood Hazard Area. Preferred Risk Policies, applicable in Zones B, C, and X on our community’s NFIP Flood Insurance Rate Map are not eligible for the CRS discount. Standard rated flood insurance policies in Zones B, C, X, D, AR, and A99 are eligible for a CRS discount of 10 percent.

In a letter, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency’s CRS Coordinator William H. Lesser wrote to West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio, “I commend you on your determination to lead your community to be more disaster resistant. This commitment enhances public safety, property protection, and protects the natural functions of floodplains, and reduces flood insurance premiums.”

To reach a Class 5 rating, the City of West Palm Beach updated its floodplain management plans, enhanced the maintenance of storm water systems, and developed projects to prevent flooding. The City developed a public information program to disseminate flood information citywide and a repetitive loss area analysis, a means by which citizens are contacted regarding their flood experiences, floodplains are analyzed, and projects are developed to effectively mitigate flooding.

“This new CRS Rating and the sizeable discounts our residents may receive on their flood insurance premium costs is a significant achievement for our City,” said West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio. “It’s an endorsement of our City and the many initiatives that we have undertaken to protect our residents and their property in the areas of disaster preparedness, flood mitigation and storm water improvement. I couldn’t be prouder of the City’s Flood Management team, and I congratulate them on this achievement.”

The new discount contrasts with the 20 percent discount awarded to new flood insurance holders in the Special Flood Hazard Areas under the previous Class 6 rating. Although recently awarded a Class 5 rating, the City is diligently working to achieve the more desirable Class 4 rating.

Residents of the City are encouraged to purchase flood insurance in hopes that in the event of a storm potential damages will be covered and insured. The City of West Palm Beach has a dedicated Flood Information Hotline for information concerning flood insurance and/or flood zones; please call (561) 805-6705. For general flood information and information about flood insurance, please visit: http://wpb.org/Departments/Development-Services/Flood-Information.

Congratulations Mayor Muoio, recipient of the prestigous ATHENA Award for Leadership from the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches. Congratulations to the recipients of the award in other categories and to all nominees!

The ATHENA Leadership Award was inspired by the goddess of Greek mythology know for her strength, courage, wisdom and enlightenment--qualities embodied in the ATHENA Leadership Model. The ATHENA Leadership Award is presented to a woman -- or man-- who is honored for professional excellence, community service and for actively assisting women in their attainment of professional excellence and leadership skills.

Mark your calendars! YOu will not want to miss this year's Clematis by Fright on Thursday, October 25 from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.! It is a FREE event with games and activities for your family to enjoy. The costume contest awarding thousands of dollars in prizes has categories for adults, kids, families and pets! Bring your whole family for a night of fun for all ages! Stay tuned for all the location and activity details as the date gets closer.

WPB-TV to Undergo Upgrades; Commission Chamber, Flagler Gallery to Close for Construction

Public Meetings to be Relocated within City Center from 9/29 – 10/21

Mayor Jeri Muoio and the City of West Palm Beach are pleased to share that the City will be undertaking renovations and improvements to the WPB-TV operation including A/V upgrades in both the Commission Chambers and Flagler Gallery. WPB-TV--the official television station of City of West Palm Beach government--- will be upgraded to improve quality of service and reliability for our valued viewers and residents. WPB-TV will also be incorporating state of the art closed-captioning services to all programming on-air and on the web. Upgrades in the Chamber and Flagler Gallery will provide enhanced image and audio quality.

Please note that, in order to complete the renovations, the Chamber and Flagler Gallery will be closed from September 29 – October 21, 2018, with meetings to be relocated within City Center or in the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach. Updates about changes to meetings location, dates and time will be shared and detailed in the weekly Public Meetings List. There may be interruption of video production services of meetings during this time. Thank you for your patience during these renovations!

As we first shared in last week's edition of the Insider Newsletter, the West Palm Beach Police Department (WPBPD) is introducing the SmartWater CSI program to our community as a high-tech tool to combat property crimes.

SmartWater CSI is a forensically encoded liquid that homeowners or business owners can apply directly to their valuables. The non-hazardous liquid is invisible to the human eye except under ultraviolet black light, and, once it is applied, it is virtually impossible to remove. In the event a stolen item is recovered, its owner can be identified through the water on the item and, then, reunited with his or her valuable.

The WPBPD has scheduled several distributions of SmartWater kits in our neighborhoods with the potential for even more distributions in more neighborhoods in the future. Last week, we distributed to the Northwood HIlls Neighborhood. Please note these future distribution dates/locations:

At this time, residents from only these communities may participate in the SmartWater CSI program. Proof of address is required to attend the meeting and participate in the SmartWater program. Participants are encouraged to arrive on time for a brief, mandatory presentation prior to receiving their SmartWater CSI kit. City residents and business owners who are interested in obtaining a SmartWater kit can contact the WPBPD Crime Prevention Office at (561) 822-1620. For more information about SmartWater, visit http://www.SmartWaterCSI.com.

City of West Palm Beach 2019 Budget Planning

The final budget hearing to adopt the proposed budget and millage rate is scheduled for September 27, 2018 at 5:00 in Commission Chambers at City Hall. The public is encouraged to attend!

To view an overview of the City's proposed FY 2019 budget, please click on the Budget in Brief document image below.

Olive Ave. between Clematis St. and Datura St. (through November 2018): One of two northbound only lanes will be closed for alley restoration.

Cumberland Dr. (through January 2019): Reduced speeds on the eastbound and westbound lanes between Military Tr. and Village Blvd. for a road beautification and safety project.Flaggers will assist motorists

Georgia Ave.south of Nottingham Blvd. (until further notice). Full closure for the first 300 ft south of Georgia for installation of the drainage system and road reconstruction.

Briggs and Dobbins Streets (until further notice): Local traffic only between Garden Ave. and Georgia Ave. for stormwater improvements. Eastbound traffic on Briggs St. may turn right only at Georgia Ave. On-street parking is prohibited in the work zone.

N. Congress Ave. north of Presidential Way to Embassy Dr. (periodic northbound and southbound lane closures until further notice): Water main, driveway and median installation.

Roebuck Rd. (periodic westbound daytime lane closures until further notice): FPL pole installation east of Easley Dr. to Haverhill Rd. Westbound traffic will shift into one of the eastbound left turn lanes at the intersection of Haverhill Rd.

Okeechobee Blvd. from Suwanee Dr., to just east of Chillingworth Dr. (through Friday, October 12, 2018) will have the outside westbound lane closed, 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, for sidewalk repairs.

Military Tr., between 45th St. and Shiloh Dr. (through Friday, September 28, 2018) will have the outside northbound lane closed, 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, for FPL pole replacement

Please take a moment to share your talents, interests, hobbies, training, and experiences with us. Volunteers of all ages, experiences and locations in the community are needed. Are you ready to make a difference? To learn more about becoming a City of West Palm Beach volunteer, please visit: http://wpb.org/volunteer.

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2018 Holiday Sanitation Schedule

There will be regular service on the following holidays:

Columbus Day - October 8, 2018

Veterans Day - November 12, 2018

There will be NO service on the following holidays:

Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 2018; Residential garbage will resume on your next scheduled service day beginning 11/26/18. Recycling will resume on 11/29/18. Bulk/Yard and Commercial Divisions are one day behind regular schedule.

Christmas Day, December 25, 2018: Residential garbage will resume your next scheduled service day beginning 12/28/18. Recycling will resume on 1/1/19. Bulk/Yard and Commercial Divisions are one day behind regular schedule.

New Year's Day, January 1, 2019: Residential garbage will resume on your next scheduled service day beginning 1/4/19. Recycling will operate on normal schedule. Bulk/Yard and Commercial Divisions are one day behind regular schedule.

The sanitation schedule is produced by the City of West Palm Beach Department of Public Works. For more information, please call (561) 822-2075.

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